BRT Draft Corridor Plan

Adam Smith Senior Planner, BRT Projects Metro Transit

March 22, 2021

1 B Line Bus Transit Overview

• Substantial replacement of Route 21, second-highest ridership route but slowest in-service speed • Route 21 ridership remains strong, even during pandemic • Project fully funded, targeted opening 2024

2 Completed planning work (2019 – 2020)

• Extension to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, evaluated and recommended in response to stakeholder requests • Route B Line along Marshall, Snelling, Selby Avenues • 33 preliminary B Line station locations identified • Preliminary bus service plan

3 Draft B Line Corridor Plan

• Planned station locations: station intersections and location of platforms within each intersection • Corridor Context: - Refined bus service plan: local and limited-stop bus service within and along B Line corridor - Potential bus priority treatments to meet project speed and reliability goals

4 Core element of Corridor Plan: Station and platform locations • Proposed platform locations developed through site-specific review • Excludes locations finalized as part of other projects • Concept designs will continue to evolve through coordination and engineering • Lake & 36th Avenue example (existing and proposed concept):

5 Additional information: Concept bus service plan

• B Line service would run every 10 minutes, seven days a week during the day and most of the evening • Local service on Route 21 would run every 30 minutes between and Minnehaha Avenue • Local service on new route (Route 60) would run every 30 minutes along connecting to Midway area of St. Paul • Concept service plans will be refined and further developed closer to B Line opening • Route 53 service will be evaluated as the B Line approaches implementation

6 How can the B Line move people faster?

7 Focused outreach efforts

• Media communications: - communications: Social, Connect, Insights, Wire, Riders Club, Project Newsletter, Rider Alerts - Local media - Communications from neighborhood and community groups, project partners • At-stop communications: - Flyers near Route 21 stops - Limited in-person surveying

8 Project schedule

• Review feedback on Draft Corridor Plan • Recommended Corridor Plan: May 2021 • Final Corridor Plan: September 2021 • Engineering: Mid-2021 – Late 2022 • Construction: 2023 – 2024

9 Adam Smith, Metro Transit [email protected]

www.metrotransit.org/b-line-project

10